Overheard in the bath: my daughter Shayna, the daughter of very ideological Reform Jews, and her cousin Maia, who is being raised Orthodox (the girls are the same age – just a few months apart):

Shayna: Maia, guess what? God lives in my pupik.

Maia, very shocked: SHAYNA! THAT’S NOT TZNIUS (modest)! Hashem does not live in your pupik!

Shayna: What does that mean?

ME: Maia, what do you mean?

Maia: No one should see you naked!

ME: Maia, you’re right, we should all be modest and careful
about who sees us naked. But God is there for us whatever we’re wearing. Remember Adam and Chava were naked.

Maia: Oh yeah.

Shayna: And when you’re dead, you’re naked.

ME: Let’s not go there.

Second Conversation, same bath. Playing with the Noah’s Ark tub toys.

Maia: Give me Noah’s wife.

Shayna: Who’s Noah’s wife?

Maia: She’s right there, give her to me.

Shayna: Oh! There she is! Floating by the taybah [ark]. What’s her name again?

Maia: I don’t know. Aunt Leah, what’s Noah’s wife’s name?

ME: She does not have a name in the Torah. She’s just known as Noah’s wife.

Shayna, indignant, with hands on hips: THAT’S NOT FAIR! WHY DOESN’T SHE HAVE A NAME?

Maia: Well that’s the way Hashem wanted it.

ME: Ladies, could we just get clean here?

Anyone who says young children don’t absorb these kinds of big ideas clearly has not spent time in the bath with these two. Yes folks, the daughters of an Orthodox Jew and Reform idealogues. Should be interesting to watch them grow up 🙂